Avengers: Infinity War may still be over a year away from hitting theaters, but the massive scale of the film means it’s already in production around the world. Thanks to shooting in places like Scotland and New York, we’ve already been given glimpses of the team-ups in the new film and which heroes will be returning. Over the past six months or so, we’ve discovered that just about every superhero from the film side of the MCU will be present for the conflict against Thanos, but what’s been unclear is whether the Mad Titan will have any allies of his own.
Though Thanos has immense power, and will wield even more once he assembles the Infinity Stones, there’s a good chance he’ll still have a number of minions helping him in his work. So far, the leading candidates are the Black Order. Thanks to some set photos, a video, and the word of a stuntman, it seems all but confirmed that the intergalactic rogues will be serving as Thanos’ lieutenants, just as they have in recent comic book stories. But who are the Black Order and will Thanos have any other allies during Infinity War.
The Black Order
In terms of comic book history, the Black Order are relatively new. Still, they’ve now become an integral part of Thanos’ pantheon across comics, animation, and games thanks to their creator Jonathan Hickman. For years, Hickman spun stories revolving around the Avengers, Thanos, and the Illuminati, a collection of Earth’s most brilliants minds that secretly guarded over the Infinity Stones. Eventually, Hickman’s stories would converge and instigate Secret Wars, resetting the Marvel universe in a company-wide reboot.
One of the main arcs during his run was Infinity, which saw a number of celestial forces come to war with heroes across the universe. In the ensuing chaos, Thanos came to Earth seeking the Infinity Stones and his long-lost son. Leading the charge were the Black Order, also known as the Cull Obsidian. Composed of five of the universe’s most powerful warriors, the Order sowed terror across the globe and proved more than a match for even the mightiest of Earth’s heroes.
Though they didn’t factor into the original Infinity Gauntlet or Infinity War stories that next year’s movie will take cues from, their similar arc makes them the perfect army for Thanos to use in his cinematic bid for conquest. While he’ll likely use plenty of cannon fodder, the Black Order will allow the Avengers’ enemies to have more flair and personality, enabling Marvel to avoid a repeat of the hack-and-slash nature of the previous Avengers films.
The members of the Black Order are led by Corvus Glaive, Thanos right-hand. Thanks to the giveaway glimpse of his signature weapon, it’s clear he’ll be one of the foes the Avengers will be facing. Along with his fighting prowess, he’s a master strategist, with his mind only rivaled by the Ebony Maw.
Possessing untold psychic powers of manipulation and persuasion, Ebony Maw is powerful enough to take control of Doctor Strange at one point. As such, his evil influence will be like Scarlet Witch’s powers dialed up to eleven.
Perhaps even stronger mentally than Maw is Supergiant. Known as an omnipath, she is an extremely powerful psychic who can possess mind and devour souls. Between her and Maw, the Avengers and their cohorts will need everything the likes of Strange and Witch can protect them with.
In the combatant category, Proxima Midnight and Black Dwarf are like the Widow and Hulk of the Order. Midnight is an unparalleled fighter, with strength and agility to match almost anyone. Dwarf, meanwhile, shares the raw power of his namesake. He’s physically strong beyond belief, and will be able to go toe-to-toe with the best brutes our heroes can offer.
Will Thanos Have Other Allies?
As it stands, the Black Order will undoubtedly be standing at Thanos’ side. Thanks to their abilities and unique appearance, they’ll offer an exciting new threat for our heroes to face off against. Still, Thanos will be facing dozens of fighters, magic-users, and cosmic powerhouses. Though he and the Black Order possess great strength, we may see the Mad Titan employ other allies. Some of the characters from Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity War in the comics aren’t available to Marvel Studios, like Galactus and Doctor Doom, but there is one name that seems plausible.
We’ve heard many teases about Adam Warlock joining the MCU, but his evil alter-ego Magus is another strong possibility. We could see the hero first come onto the scene in this nefarious guise, seeking the power of the Infinity Stones for himself or assisting Thanos. He could even be teased at the end of the film as the threat the Avengers will have to face in their fourth film in 2019, which is still untitled.
Another possibility is that previous villains will emerge to help Thanos in his crusade. The most obvious choice seems to be Loki, who’s often known to emerge whenever chaos is present. He’d be the perfect candidate to serve as a double or triple agent, playing his own agenda while seeming to help Thanos. We could also see upcoming foes like Hela or recent villains like Dormammu or Zemo assisting the Mad Titan in some way. And then there’s all the dead villains.
One of our many hopes for Infinity War is that the movie will see the return of some past Marvel villains. Given the power of the Infinity Stones and the loose nature of death in comics, everyone from Yellowjacket to Iron Monger could come back to life. We were even teased with the return of Red Skull recently. Both he, Ronan, and Malekith’s deaths were tied to Infinity Stones, so they’d be likely candidates to return once Thanos is in power. Having the Mad Titan raise the Avengers’ and Guardians’ deadliest foes from the grave would be a great way of visualizing the Stones’ power and providing enemies for our heroes that aren’t just mindless drones.
Outside of the hints about the Black Order so far, there’s really no telling who Thanos could have as allies. There’s even the possibility that he’ll mostly act alone, though that seems doubtful. Between his proclivities for working through others that we’ve already seen, and the sheer number of heroes who will be present, it’s clear that the Mad Titan will both need and want a little bit of help in his struggle. For Marvel, this will serve as a golden opportunity to bring back familiar faces and introduce new threats to the MCU. Whoever Thanos aligns himself with, expect the threat they pose to be unparalleled.
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Which supervillains do you want to see fight alongside Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know in the comments.
